CLEVELAND, May 21 (UPI) -- Brady Anderson, unable to revive his career with the Cleveland Indians, was released Tuesday.
Anderson, 38, batted just .163 (13-for-80) with one homer and five RBI in 34 games this season, his first with the Indians after spending 14 with Baltimore. The Orioles released Anderson in November with one year remaining on his contract.
The three-time All-Star outfielder came to Cleveland at a bargain price. Nearly all of Anderson's $4 million contract this season, the final year of a five-year deal, was paid by the Orioles with the Indians responsible only for the minimum of $200,000.
Anderson enjoyed some banner years with Baltimore, where he hit 209 homers and amassed a club-record 311
stolen bases, garnering All-Star appearances in 1992, 1996 and 1997.
Anderson's best season came in 1996, when he set career highs with a .297 average, a franchise-record 50 homers and 110 RBI. He has never hit more than 24 homers in any other season.
Sparked by Anderson's career year, the Orioles ended a 13-year drought and reached the postseason in 1996. Baltimore ended up losing to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.
But Anderson's numbers have steadily declined since 1996, and he batted just .202 with eight homers and 45 RBI in 131 games last season, leading to his release.
In 1,834 career games, Anderson is a lifetime .255 hitter with 210 homers and 761 RBI.
To take Anderson's spot on the roster, the Indians recalled outfielder Chris Magruder from Class AAA Buffalo of the International League. Magruder was hitting .271 with three homers and nine RBI in 34 games with Buffalo.
